Operation Shovel
by AliasCWN
Summary: The Rat Patrol comes across a report that demands they take action despite the danger involved.
1. Chapter 1

Operation Shovel By:AliasCWN Chapter 1

The Rat Patrol was on another mission to find out what the Germans were planning. The base run by Captain Hans Dietrich was once again their target. The assignment, raid the Captain's office and photograph his plans and his maps.

Things had gone well once they reached the German base. Better than well actually, it had been easy. The Captain, or maybe his security officer, was getting lax in his efforts when it came to base safety. The guards had been scattered and ill-positioned, so much so that Moffitt had remarked that they could probably walk away with half the base without the Germans noticing until it was too late.

The privates had guarded their escape route while the sergeants had searched the Captain's office. Hitch and Tully had been surprised to see their sergeants return after only a short time.

"What's wrong Sarge, couldn't you find anything?" Hitch asked as soon as they were together again.

"Find anything," Tully snorted, "they weren't even gone long enough to break in."

"We did get in." Troy growled with a frown. "And we got everything we came for….and more. Let's shake it."

The four of them left the base and drove until Troy was satisfied that they were far enough away that the Germans wouldn't stumble over them by accident. Camped in a wadi for the night they took turns on guard while the others slept.

Early the next morning they were preparing to start another day. The privates were preparing their breakfast after going over the jeeps. Troy was on watch while Moffitt took a few minutes to read over some documents he had taken from the Captain's desk.

"Hitch!"

The blond dropped the hood on his jeep before answering the summons. He glanced at their small cook fire to be sure that the food wouldn't burn. The others had been giving him grief over their over-cooked meals and he was trying to do better. "Tully, will you keep an eye on things?" Tully looked up and nodded wordlessly before going back to digging through the gear in the rear of the jeep. Hitch walked across the camp to where Moffitt sat on a rock. "Yeah, what do you need Doc?"

"Relieve Troy on guard; tell him I need to talk to him right away."

"Everything all right Doc?"

"I don't know." The Brit answered, looking down at the papers. "Just give Troy the message for me."

"Right Doc." The blond picked up a weapon and went to relieve the sergeant and give him the message.

"What is it Moffitt? Hitch says something is wrong." Troy appeared a moment later and headed straight for the other sergeant. He eyed the papers that Moffitt held. "Does it have something to do with those?" To him they looked like any of the other papers that they had taken from the Germans on any number of occasions.

"I took these from Dietrich's desk last night."

"Okay?"

"This one says that Dietrich is away attending some meetings and won't be back for several days." Moffitt held up one of the pages.

"Well that explains the lax security." Troy joked. "While the cat's away the mice will play, or at least slack off."

"This time it is the rats that have been busy." Moffitt answered soberly.

"As long as we benefit from his men getting lazy what do we have to complain about?" Troy eyed his second in confusion. "What's wrong? You aren't feeling guilty because we raided his office while he was away, are you?"

"Hardly." Moffitt smiled.

"Then what's bothering you?"

"These." Moffitt held up the rest of the papers. "I didn't think that they would be very valuable because, well, if they were important you would think they would have been locked in the safe." The sergeant shrugged his thin shoulders and looked unhappy. "I took them more out of curiosity than for any other reason."

"Curiosity killed the cat." Troy grinned. "Good thing we're rats." His teasing smile died as he noticed that Moffitt wasn't smiling in return. "Oh come on Moffitt, you said yourself that you didn't expect them to be important, so why get so upset when you find out they are worthless?"

"That's just it Troy, they aren't worthless."

"You mean we stumbled over something valuable? What is it?"

"I don't know."

Troy frowned in frustration. "Maybe you had better explain it to me."

Moffitt took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before he began. "These appear to be reports sent to Captain Dietrich about an American office they have managed to turn. They claim he has been giving them classified information about troop movements and bases along with the latest battle plans."

Suddenly interested, Troy growled as he eyed the other sergeant. "Does it mention a name?"

"Not in so many words." The Brit answered. "That would be too easy. It does go into great detail about his qualifications and his past postings."

"So we can figure out who it is and nail the traitor? I don't have any sympathy for anyone who would betray his country." Troy crowded closer to try to see over Moffitt's shoulder. The writing was in German but he wanted to see the document for himself.

Tully chose that moment to walk up with two plates in his hands. "I heard what you said Doc, is it anyone we know?"

"I think so." Moffitt answered quietly.

"Who?" Troy demanded.

"Captain Boggs…"

"What!" Troy drew back, eyeing Moffitt, expecting him to burst out laughing at the joke. Surprise turned to anger and then to confusion as Moffitt continued to look serious. "Captain Boggs is no traitor!"

"The evidence is all here." Moffitt answered in a reasonable tone as he held out the packet for Troy. "There is more than enough to start an investigation, perhaps enough to convene a court martial."

"That dog don't hunt." Tully drawled quietly into the silence that followed Moffitt's statement.

"What?" Moffitt turned from Troy to look at his driver. "What are you talking about Tully? What dog?"

Tully smiled a bit sadly. "That's something Pa used to say when something didn't seem right. All of our dogs were hunting dogs. If one didn't hunt then there was something wrong with it. This doesn't make sense Doc, Sarge is right, Captain Boggs is no traitor."

"The evidence is right here in front of us Tully. I don't want to believe it either but it is right here in black and white."

"My dad used to say that paper would lie still for anything." Troy added thoughtfully.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, I could write that the moon is inhabited by ten foot tall green men but that doesn't make it true."

"See." Tully smirked.

"What it does do is leave us with a dilemma." Troy continued. "If we turn these papers over Captain Boggs will be arrested and charged with treason. Even if he can prove his innocence his career will be tainted. At the very least he will be reassigned. In the meantime the entire base will be in turmoil and the real traitor will be able to continue helping the Germans."

"We can't cover this up Troy." Moffitt warned. "If it ever got out that we kept it to ourselves the Captain would not be the only one facing a court-martial."

"So what do we do?" Tully asked.

"First off," Troy growled, "I want you to forget you ever heard any of this conversation. I don't want you or Hitch involved in this." Troy held up a hand when Tully would have argued. "Moffitt and I will figure it out. There is no reason for all of us to risk our futures."

"He's right Tully, why don't you pack things up and get ready to leave while we work on this?"

"All right Doc, but you're both wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

"There are plenty of reasons why we should all be involved in this, the most important being that we are a team. What affects one of us affects all of us." Tully turned to walk away. "Eat your breakfast, I'll be back in a few minutes for the plates."

Troy frowned but Moffitt smiled as they watched Tully take a plate to Hitch on guard.

"He does have a point." Moffitt spoke softly.

Troy shook his head. "This could get messy; I don't want to drag them down in it too. We'll leave them out of the decisions so no one can blame them for anything that goes down."

"Tully already knows, he can't just un-know it, especially under oath."

"Darn it!"

"Precisely."

"Okay, once we decide how to handle this we'll run it by them. Maybe between the four of us we can make it work."

Moffitt smiled. "You know, they do come up with some good ideas every once in a while. They're both smart."

"Yeah I know, but they're both young and they don't have a lot of experience at this."

"This?"

"Playing the Army game where everyone covers their own a.. and protects their own careers at the expense of anyone below them." Troy explained.

"I don't think it's their careers they will be worrying about in this instance." Moffitt guessed.

"I know and that's what worries me. They'll be so concerned about clearing the Captain that they will leave themselves open for charges." Troy's eyes followed Tully as he packed up their meager supplies.

"Then I guess we'll just have to do what we always do." Moffitt sighed.

"What's that?" Troy asked as he tore his gaze away from Tully.

"Watch each other's backs." The Brit smiled. "We do have one advantage that the Captain can't claim."

"Like what?"

"We know who we can trust."


	2. Chapter 2

Operation Shovel

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 2

"These are the papers we took from Captain Dietrich's office." Moffitt said as he handed the papers and film they had taken from the German base to Captain Boggs. "His troops seem to be gearing up for something."

"Any idea what they're planning?" The Captain asked as he accepted the intelligence.

"There are plans in there to move his line east toward the mountains. I don't think he has the supplies to pull it off though." The sergeant explained.

"There is supposed to be a convoy headed his way as we speak." The Captain informed them. "I was hoping that you would get back in time that I could send you out to intercept it."

"It took us a little longer to get back than we expected. Hitch and Tully are resupplying the jeeps right now." Troy replied. "We can leave as soon as the jeeps are ready to go."

"Good, we don't want that convoy getting through. If we can keep those supplies from reaching him we might not have to defend against that push." The Captain placed the packets on his desk. "I'll send these up to headquarters as soon as we get them translated."

Troy eyed the packet uneasily. "Moffitt didn't have time to read through all of them. When he read about the offensive that Dietrich had planned we decided to not waste any time."

"Good enough Sergeant, I'll read through the others after the staff gets them translated into English. If you need anything before you go out after that convoy just let my clerk know, he can get you all the requisition forms you need."

"Thank you Captain, we'll see you when we get back."

Troy and Moffitt left the captain's office and headed directly for the motor pool. "We're headed out to intercept one of Dietrich's convoys." Troy informed the privates as soon as they reached the jeeps. "Is everything ready?"

"Ready Sarge." Hitch confirmed as Tully nodded his head.

"Then let's go, I want to hit that convoy and get back here as soon as possible."

"What did the Captain say?" Hitch asked as the jeep flew across the desert floor. He couldn't take his eyes off of the road because of the rocks so he missed the shake of Troy's head. "Sarge?"

"He didn't say anything. The reports were all in German and he has to have them translated."

"He'll mention it when we get back." Hitch answered confidently. "Captain Boggs is no traitor."

Í hope so Hitch."

The jeep slowed as Hitch turned to stare at his sergeant. "You aren't starting to believe it are you?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant that I hope he doesn't try to handle this on his own and keep it a secret from everyone else."

"Yeah," the blond replied, "I can see where that would look bad, especially if it all blew up in his face."

"That's what I was thinking."

"Darn!" Hitch lapsed into silence as he considered the consequences. He respected the Captain, and he wanted to help, but he had no idea how to go about it.

The convoy was ahead of schedule and they missed it at the ambush site they had chosen. Disgusted, Troy had choice words for whomever had provided the information about the convoy's schedule. It took them most of the morning to locate a new ambush site that was ahead of the convoy. Just to be certain, they had backtracked to confirm that the convoy hadn't taken a different route than reported.

"They are still on the same course." Moffitt lowered his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Yeah I can see that." Troy growled. "You don't think we were given the wrong information on purpose do you?"

"Perhaps." The other sergeant conceded. "It would be easy enough to claim that they got the time mixed up or that we miscalculated when timing our interception."

"That could mean that Dietrich was in on this."

"Would that surprise you?"

Troy snorted. "No, but I sure would like to know who it is on our side that is working with him."

"As would I, but I think we may need to continue this conversation at a later time. Right now we have a convoy to stop."

"We will continue this talk later." Troy promised. "My curiosity has been aroused."

"Then I am not the only one who is lucky not to be a cat."

Troy returned Moffitt's grin. "Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. I'm not quitting until I'm satisfied that I've reached the bottom of this. This whole thing stinks."

"The Captain has stood by us often enough." Moffitt admitted. "I think we all agree that he deserves our support."

"Well he's got it. Now let's go arrange a surprise for that convoy. If we were given the wrong information on purpose maybe they won't be expecting us this time. It could be that they are expecting us to wait back there for them."

Moffitt chuckled. "I'm really looking forward to proving them wrong."

"You and me both." Troy grinned. "Let's shake it." They ran for the jeeps where Hitch and Tully were ready and waiting.

"Still coming?" Tully asked as Moffitt slid into the seat beside him.

"Still coming." The sergeant confirmed. "At the rate they are traveling they will be at the new ambush site in about twenty minutes."

Tully nodded and pulled his goggles over his eyes. Sliding his matchstick to the other corner of his mouth, he reached for his helmet. "Seems odd that we missed them before, the Germans usually stick to a very strict schedule." He didn't look at the sergeant as he made the comment, trying to make it seem to be an off-hand observation.

"We thought of that Tully."

"Just saying is all."

"You think someone wanted us to miss that convoy?"

Tully kept his face neutral as he glanced over at the sergeant.

Moffitt smiled. "That's alright Tully, that thought occurred to us too."

"That means that someone at headquarters is working with the krauts." Tully pointed out.

"Unfortunately, yes it does." The sergeant agreed.

Tully shook his head in disgust. "Heck of a way to fight a war."

Moffitt didn't answer as the jeep hit a bump and nearly threw him out of the seat. He thought about what Tully said as he swayed with the shifting vehicle. Before he knew it they were pulling behind a dune to wait for the German convoy.

Troy took his binoculars and climbed to a high point to watch for the convoy. The others waited by the jeeps, waiting for Troy's signal. This was all so familiar to them that each of them knew exactly what was expected of him.

Hitch blew on his goggles, trying to get some of the fine sand off of them. He chewed his gum absentmindedly as he wiped the lenses. The sound of the bubble popping was loud in the silence as they waited.

Tully shifted in his seat and winked when Hitch glanced over at him. Hitch nodded in return and went back to working on his goggles.

Moffitt watched the exchange and thought about how comfortable they had all gotten with the familiar routine. Each one knew his job and did it without giving it another thought. It made him wonder what else they did without thinking about it just because it was part of their routine.

"You okay Doc?"

Moffitt jumped at the sound of Tully's voice. Smiling at Tully he nodded, "Fine Tully, just thinking."

"Must be serious, I called you twice before I got your attention."

Moffitt nodded again. "Tully, what do we do when we get back to the base?"

Tully looked confused for a moment. "What do you mean Doc?"

"What do we do? We drop the jeeps off at the motor pool and we report to Captain Boggs."

"Yeah, that's what we always do." Tully agreed with a frown, "Unless we have to stop at the medical tent first."

"Exactly."

"What are you getting at?"

"We follow the same routine out of habit. It's always worked for us so we continue to do it, without giving it a second thought."

"What's wrong with that?" Hitch asked. "Like you said, it's always worked for us."

"There's nothing wrong with it." The sergeant explained. "But it does make us predictable don't you think? If someone wanted to get us all they would have to do would be to study our routines."

"Are you thinking someone is after us too?" Tully asked.

"Someone is always after us." Hitch huffed.

Moffitt smiled at Hitch before answering his driver. "No Tully, but it does appear that someone is after Captain Boggs. My guess is that it is someone close to him; someone who knows his habits and routines; someone with access to his reports and intelligence."

"Makes sense." Hitch agreed, popping another bubble. "They could read his messages and reports and pass them on to the Germans. Blaming the captain could be a way to draw attention away from them."

"And they could feed him information that the Germans want him to know." Tully added thoughtfully.

"And make him look guilty by manipulating the flow of information in either direction."

"Have you told Sarge your theory?" Hitch asked with a worried frown.

"Something tells me that Troy has already considered that possibility on his own." The British sergeant explained.

"So how do we figure out who it is?"

"I have no idea." Moffitt admitted.

A sharp whistle interrupted their debate. They looked up to see Troy watching them with an angry expression on his face. Using hand signals he indicated that the convoy was in sight. They looked at each other guiltily as they realized that they had been so engrossed in the conversation that they had failed to keep an eye out for the signal. Now three sets of eyes followed Troy's every move.

Troy raised his hand and made a fist. He watched the convoy, timing its approach. Moffitt climbed into the rear of his jeep and lowered the muzzle of the 50 caliber so that Tully could remove the dust cover. He had cleared the chamber before Troy dropped his hand. The jeep jumped forward, momentarily throwing him off balance. Tully swung onto hard packed sand and the jeep's tires found a firmer grip. The little vehicle shot forward racing toward the approaching Germans. Instead of going over the hill they were going to go around to avoid the loose sand on the steep slope. The quiet motors of the jeeps were lost in the roar of the heavier German engines. The convoy never heard them coming.

Hitch had picked up Troy and their jeep was closely following Tully and Moffitt's jeep as they rushed toward the enemy convoy.

A German soldier spotted the two little vehicles as they rounded the dune and yelled a warning but it was too little too late. Troy and Moffitt opened fire with the 50's with deadly accuracy.

The trucks that didn't explode rolled to a stop as heavy slugs tore into their engines. The jeeps made several passes before they decided that they had done enough damage. Troy waved them to disengage and they tore off across the desert leaving the Germans to try to pick up the pieces.

"All right." Troy growled when they stopped to check the jeeps for damage. "What was so important back there that you didn't have time to keep your eyes on me?"

"We were wondering…" Moffitt began.


	3. Chapter 3

**Operation Shovel**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 3

The jeeps rolled onto the base and dropped Troy and Moffitt off at headquarters. Tully and Hitch drove on to the motor pool to get them serviced and restocked. Once they were finished they parked the jeeps out of the way and headed for their quarters.

The sergeants reported to Captain Boggs.

"Did you find the convoy okay?"

"Why wouldn't we Sir?" Troy asked as he cocked his head to one side.

"What's that supposed to mean Sergeant?" The Captain growled.

"You told us where to find the convoy Captain. We found it. Why would you think we had any trouble?"

Captain Boggs studied the two sergeants in front of his desk. He couldn't put his finger on it but there was something different about them. "Do we have a problem here Sergeant?"

"No sir." Troy replied.

"Alright, give your written reports to Corporal Nevens and take the rest of the day off, you've earned it."

Did you manage to translate all of the reports we brought back earlier?" Moffitt asked before the captain could dismiss them.

"Yes we did Sergeant Moffitt. I sent them on to headquarters with the last courier. They have people there who can figure it all out."

"Was there anything interesting in there?"

"About what you would expect to find in a German officer's office." The captain answered with a frown. "Were you expecting something in particular?"

"No sir." Moffitt responded innocently. "I was just wondering if there was anything in there that we should be aware of. We do spend a lot of time in that area."

"I'd tell you if there were. Dismissed sergeants."

They were almost to their quarters before either of them spoke.

"Perhaps he didn't read all of the reports before he passed them on."

"You know better than that Moffitt." Troy growled angrily. "The Captain is too good of an officer to let something get past him like that. He would have read all of them just to keep aware of any threats to the base or the troops."

"Do you think he is trying to solve it on his own?"

"That's a good way to convince everyone that you're guilty."

"We don't know for sure that that is what is happening."

"True." Troy admitted. "There could be something going on that we don't understand. I just hate the idea of leaving the captain on his own." Troy sighed. "Alright Moffitt, let's do it your way."

"So where do we start?"

Troy considered all of the staff in the Captain's office. "Let's start with Corporal Nevins and go from there." Troy waited for Moffitt to agree before he continued. "We can have Tully and Hitch keep an eye on the corporal while we move on to suspect number two. I really can't see the corporal being involved."

"How are we going to explain our presence if we are caught following them?"

Troy grinned. "Curiosity. We'll tell them we are curious about how the office works."

Moffitt huffed. "They'll never believe it."

Troy shrugged. "Who cares? We're not doing anything wrong."

"What if the Captain finds out?"

"Anyone who tells him will be in the clear." Troy answered. "We can tell the captain what we are doing if he asks. He might even appreciate the support."

"Perhaps we should split up differently, I could team up with Tully and you could team up with Hitch."

"No." Troy shook his head. "People are used to seeing us together and Tully and Hitch together. If we change anything it might warn our target."

Moffitt smiled and nodded. "Then I suggest we get started on Operation Shovel."

"Operation Shovel?"

"We aren't going to stop until we've dug out all of the evidence." The Brit responded with a shrug.

Troy laughed. "Operation Shovel it is. Let's go get Hitch and Tully."

` "What are we watching for Sarge?" Hitch asked after Troy gave them their orders.

"Anything unusual." Troy explained. "Whoever it is has to have some way to send out that information. If we can catch them in the act we can clear the captain."

"We'll keep our eyes and ears open Sarge." Tully promised. "Where are you guys going to be?"

"We're going to concentrate on Sergeant Ingersoll. He's new around here but he has access to all of the information that goes in or out of the captain's office."

"We'll meet back here after they both turn in for the night." Moffitt added.

Hitch and Tully went in search of Corporal Nevins while Troy and Moffitt singled out Sergeant Ingersoll.

They found Sergeant Ingersoll in the street in front of the captain's office. He had just stepped out of the door when Moffitt spotted him. Moffitt tapped Troy on the arm and stepped into a doorway allowing an Arab and his herd of goats to cross in front of them. No one paid them any attention as they stood in the doorway and pretended to be deep in conversation.

Sergeant Ingersoll looked both ways before turning and heading up the street. He didn't look behind him as he hurried along, intent on reaching his destination. Giving him a head start they followed at a discreet distance keeping other pedestrians between themselves and the sergeant. The sergeant headed for the mess hall so Troy and Moffitt decided to eat too since it might be their only chance.

They rushed through their meal and were concealed outside when the sergeant stepped back into the street. He paused to look around before turning toward the main gate. His stride was long and fast, looking very much like a man on a mission.

Troy caught Moffitt's sleeve and tugged him to the side. "Let's cut over to the next street and watch him from there. If he looks back there is nowhere for us to hide on this street."

Moffitt nodded and ducked into the next alley. They had just disappeared into the alley when Sergeant Ingersoll turned to survey the street behind him. Seeing nothing, he continued on his way.

The two sergeants slipped into one of the buildings and hurried to the windows where they could follow the tall form of the other sergeant as he approached the gate. By staying in the shadows they could observe without being seen. They watched as Sergeant Ingersoll stopped in front of one of the guards and spoke briefly.

Troy made a mental note of the name on the guard's uniform. "We'll have to investigate that guard too."

"This just keeps getting bigger and bigger." Moffitt responded.

"Then the sooner we get to the bottom of it the better." Troy answered.

"Do you really think Sergeant Ingersoll is involved?"

"He's new and it sounds as if Dietrich is still just getting up to speed on the information." Troy answered thoughtfully. "Yeah, it could be him."

"What about Corporal Nevins?"

"I don't really think he's involved." Troy admitted. "He could be, I could be wrong about that, but it doesn't feel right."

"Then why have Tully and Hitch watch him?"

Troy grinned. "I thought it would keep them out of trouble. They wanted to be involved but I don't want them caught up in this. Watching the corporal will keep them busy."

"They are involved Troy." Moffitt reminded him. "They know about the information we found."

"Yeah, but they can claim that we ordered them to stay out of it. Which we did. If anything goes wrong I will claim that I left them in the dark."

"I'm not sure they'll go along with that."

"I'll order them to go along with it."

Moffitt shook his head. "Troy."

"We'll worry about that if it happens." Troy suddenly said. He jerked his head toward the street. "Sergeant Ingersoll is on the move."

From the gate the sergeant returned to his office where he spent the rest of the day doing mundane things that drove Troy to boredom.

Hitch and Tully reported back to their quarters at the end of the day to say that Corporal Nevins had a really dull job.

"All he did was file papers all day." Hitch complained.

"He didn't see you did he?"

"No, we stayed out of sight in the building across the street." Tully explained.

"We watched him all day Sarge. He even packed a lunch and ate at his desk. Talk about dedicated. The guy doesn't even go to the latrine!" Hitch exclaimed.

"He does sound rather dedicated." Moffitt agreed with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Really Doc." Hitch turned toward the other sergeant. "Who does that?"

"Corporal Nevins apparently." Troy grinned.

"Any luck with Sergeant Ingersoll?" Tully asked, changing the subject.

"Maybe." Troy answered quietly. "He's not quite as dedicated as Corporal Nevins."

"We got to eat lunch in the mess hall." Moffitt teased.

"We didn't get lunch." Hitch grouched.

"All right." Troy relented and decided to give the privates a break. "You two take tomorrow off, I think Corporal Nevins is a dead end."

"Isn't there anyone else we could keep an eye on Sarge?"

"We're going to keep Sergeant Ingersoll under observation a bit longer. You two wander around and see if you can pick up any gossip."

"Okay Sarge, are we done for the night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Cause we haven't eaten all day," Tully groaned, "and I'm hungry."

Troy laughed. "Go eat. We'll see you in the morning."

The two privates were out the door before Troy could change his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Operation Shovel**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 4

The next day Troy and Moffitt agreed to trade off on watching Sergeant Ingersoll. That way there was less chance of the being spotted, and, as Moffitt pointed out, they would have time to eat lunch.

The sergeant started his day off the same as the day before. He spent the morning in the office doing paperwork. At lunch time he filed his work away and headed for the mess hall. Moffitt followed him there and met Troy outside.

"Figured he'd eat lunch about now." Troy explained with a smile. "This seemed like a good time to trade places."

Moffitt nodded. "We can grab lunch together, we usually do. After I eat I'll take a walk around the base and see if any of my contacts have heard anything."

"Sounds good." Troy agreed.

Moffitt casually entered the mess hall and glanced around, looking for a seat. As he did he also looked for Sergeant Ingersoll. With a start he realized that their target wasn't seated at any of the tables. Taking a second, closer look, he searched the room again. Sergeant Ingersoll wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Troy!"

"What is it? I thought we were going to eat."

"Ingersoll's not in here."

"What?" Troy demanded as he pushed past the Brit to look for himself.

"He must have ducked out the back. I saw him come in here." Moffitt stated in shock.

"Check the gate, maybe he went to talk to that guard again." Troy ordered.

"Where will you be?"

"I'm going back to the office, maybe he just grabbed some food and took it back to the office with him."

"Out the back door?"

Troy shrugged. "Innocent until proven guilty."

"All right, if we don't find him we can meet back here." Troy ordered before he turned and nearly ran toward the offices.

Moffitt hid in the same building they had used the previous day to spy on the guards. The guard on duty was not the same one who had been there the day before. He didn't speak to anyone during the time that Moffitt watched. After giving Ingersoll plenty of time to get there if he were coming Moffitt headed back toward the mess hall. By the time he reached the mess hall he still hadn't seen any sign of Sergeant Ingersoll.

Troy hurried toward the office where Ingersoll worked, hoping to catch sight of him before he entered the building. Like Moffitt, he too failed to spot their target. He waited around for half an hour but Ingersoll didn't show.

Moffitt and Troy met back at the mess hall to report their failures.

"I don't know Troy, you must admit, this does look suspicious."

"Yeah, but it's not proof."

"All right, why don't you continue to look for Ingersoll? I'll talk to my Arab contacts and see if any of them can shine a light on this puzzle."

Troy headed across the base checking in every place a soldier would go to relax. He checked the supply building, the motor pool, the mess hall (again), the baseball field, and both bars. Since Ingersoll wasn't an officer he didn't check inside the officer's club or the officer's quarters but he did walk around them in case Ingersoll was meeting someone. He covered the entire base but he didn't find the other man. Out of places to look, he headed back to the office.

On a hunch he went into the building and wandered the halls. After a few minutes he spotted Sergeant Ingersoll coming out of the radio room at the end of the building. Since he had been spotted too Troy continued down the hall, nodding to Ingersoll as they passed.

Troy went into the records office and asked for a copy of one of their earlier reports. Taking a seat where he could watch the hall, he pretended to review the document. Ingersoll took a seat at his desk and went back to work.

Later that night the four of them met in their quarters.

"So how was your day Sarge?" Hitchcock asked with a big smile.

"Not as good as yours apparently." Troy growled. "What were you up to?"

"We hit up the bars and the baseball field. It was a relaxing day." The blond grinned.

"How many drinks did you have?"

"Only one in each place Sarge." Tully joined in. "We made them last while we asked a few questions and listened to the gossip."

"Sounds like fun." Moffitt observed dryly.

"It was Doc!" Hitch answered. "Anyway, we didn't find out much from the gossip."

"I should think that you would know better than to trust barroom gossip." Moffitt chided the two younger rats.

"We didn't say we were going to take it as gospel Doc, but it may have given us some idea where to look." Tully defended their actions. "But like Hitch said, we didn't hear anything useful."

"A couple of guys knew Ingersoll though." Hitch took up the explanation again. "They described him as kind of standoffish. They say he keeps to himself and spends a lot of nights working late at the office."

"Not with the secretary I bet." Troy guessed.

"The secretary, or in this case, an aide, is a guy, so no, he's probably not fooling around with the captain's secretary." Hitch explained seriously. "Besides, the captain's aide arrives early every day but he hardly ever stays late."

"So Sergeant Ingersoll has the office to himself?"

"Some nights, I guess." Hitch shrugged. "Other nights some of the other clerks stay to catch up on their work."

"You still think it's Ingersoll?" Tully asked.

"We still don't have any proof but it's looking that way." Troy admitted.

"What about that Arab he was talking to? Have you checked him out?"

"What Arab?" Troy demanded, making Hitch jerked at his tone.

"We saw him talking to some Arab behind the market just after noon. You guys were sure hiding pretty well because we couldn't spot you and we knew you were watching him." Tully added.

"Are you sure it was Ingersoll?"

"Positive." Tully glanced over at Hitch. "Didn't you see him Sarge?"

"We lost him at the mess hall." Troy admitted while waving off any further questions. itvh jerked HitchHHHH HHHHITTTTTTTu""" " "Just what did you see?"

Tully looked at Hitch again before he answered the question.

"We were just looking around like you told us. We had an early lunch and decided to see what was going on in the market. Just as we walked past this alley we saw Ingersoll talking to some Arab. They seemed to be having a really serious talk. We didn't stay around because we didn't want the sergeant to see us. We thought that you were watching him."

"Did you see where he went after he finished talking to the Arab?"

"We thought he was going back to his office." Hitch explained. "He was heading in that direction."

"But you didn't follow him?"

"We thought you were Sarge." Tully blushed. "I guess we made a mistake."

"No Tully, you did the right thing. We were supposed to be watching him but he gave us the slip."

"Would you recognize this Arab if you saw him again?" Moffitt asked

"Yeah Sarge, we've seen him around the bar a few times. Come to think of it, he never talks to any of the soldiers but he always seems to be hanging around close by.

"Don't call me Sarge." Moffitt answered automatically. "Do you think he speaks English?"

"He was talking to Ingersoll in English." Hitch answered. "We couldn't hear it all but we caught a few words."

"Alright, let's see if he's hanging around the bars tonight." Troy suggested.

"Are you thinking that he might be the courier?" Troy asked.

"Yes." Moffitt answered with a small nod. "It would make sense. Ingersoll cannot contact the Germans directly so he would have to use a courier to deliver the information. If he passed on any information this afternoon the Arab may not have delivered it yet. They would have to arrange a meeting with Dietrich to pass it off, that takes time. He can't exactly meet them in our territory during the day and it's a long drive from his base. If the Arab hasn't left yet maybe Dietrich is meeting him somewhere close. Perhaps we could follow him and intercept the message."

"Let's go see if he's still around." Troy agreed.

They searched the first bar but the Arab they were looking for wasn't there. He wasn't in the second bar either. Tully and Hitch searched the room thoroughly looking for him. When they turned away with a shake of their heads Troy sighed in disappointment.

"What now?" Hitch asked as they started back toward their quarters.

"We'll look for the Arab again tomorrow. If we find him we'll follow him and see if we can learn anything useful." Troy explained.

"We can follow him now Sarge." Tully drawled.

"Tully, last time I checked you had to know where someone was in order to follow them."

"I know that." Tully grinned. "I've done enough hunting to know how it's done."

Troy looked more closely at the private. "Do you know where he might be?"

Tully nodded and grinned.

"Where?" Troy growled.

"That's him coming down the street."

Hitch looked where Tully was pointing and nodded. "Yep, that's him all right."

"Out of sight!" Moffitt pushed both privates behind a truck parked along the street.

"Like that didn't look suspicious." Hitch grinned.

"Couldn't be helped." Moffitt answered without taking his eyes off of the Arab. "If he is working for the Germans we can't let him know we're watching him."

"So we're going to follow him?" Tully asked.

"Unless you have a better idea." Troy suggested.

"Why don't Hitch and I go get the jeeps so they're close by when he makes his move?" Tully grinned. "You and Doc can keep an eye on him."

"Are the jeeps restocked? We may run into trouble out there and need the supplies."

"They're ready Sarge."

"Alright, wait in the jeeps until we call you. One of us can follow this guy while the other one calls you if it looks like he's making a move."

"On it Sarge." Tully jerked his head at Hitch to tell him to lead the way. Careful to stay out of sight, the two privates headed for the motor pool. Once there they did a final check on the vehicles and wheeled them out into the street to move them closer to the bar where the sergeants watched their quarry.

The wait wasn't a long one. Less than an hour later they saw Moffitt rushing towards them. Starting the jeeps, they drove out to meet him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Operation Shovel**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 5

The Arab checked his back-trail frequently, turning his horse completely around each time. And each time he would stare at the empty desert around him suspiciously. The four men were forced to keep the jeeps well back and rely on their field glasses and the moonlight to keep from losing the horseman. Tully and Hitch tried to hide the sounds of the engines by staying behind the dunes, hoping the hills would deflect the noise.

"Do you think he heard us?" Troy and Moffitt were laying on top of yet another hill watching the Arab with their glasses.

"The wind is blowing from him to us. The jeep engines are quiet and we're movng slow so they are making much noise. It's always possible that we were detected but I don't think that that is the case. I think it's more likely that he is just nervous. If he is acting as a courier then he has every reason to be careful."

"We can't move in until we're sure he's meeting the Germans. The problem with that is that once we spot the Germans we won't have much time to intercept any message he tries to pass."

"We can't get any closer or he will hear us." Moffitt warned.

"I know." Troy watched the Arab for a moment. "What we can do is scout ahead and see if we can spot who he is trying to meet."

"If they hear us we run the risk of warning them off."

Troy twisted his face into a frown and nodded. "You're right, I just hate this waiting. If he's carrying information I don't want him to reach the Germans with it."

"Sarge! Sarge!"

Troy turned to look back toward the jeeps. "What is it Tully?"

"I think I hear engines."

Troy strained his ears but he couldn't hear anything. "I don't hear it."

"It's real faint but I'm sure I heard something. It sure sounded like German engines."

Moffitt turned his head and placed his ear flat on the ground. This time the stillness of the desert worked in their favor. "I hear something too."

"Vehicles?"

"Yes, several from the sounds of it." Moffitt confirmed. He listened again, "Sounds like something heavy, maybe halftracks."

"That tears it! Let's shake it!"

Troy and Moffitt ran for the jeeps as the Arab turned at the sound of the jeeps starting. The courier sawed on the animal's mouth as he tried to pull it around in a circle. Kicking it in the ribs he leaned over the withers and raced toward the sound of the approaching Germans.

With darkness covering the desert the jeeps couldn't attack at their usual speed. Both drivers had to lean forward to watch for the multitude of hazards that could damage a fast moving vehicle. Still, they were faster than a horse and could maintain their speed for a greater distance. Circling around the hill, they tried to overtake the fleeing Arab.

The Arab was whipping his horse, trying to force more speed out of the gallant animal. Even in the dark Troy could see it straining to answer the demands of the rider.

"Sarge."

"I see them." Troy yelled back. "Get me closer!" Troy opened fire with the 50, aiming in front of the horse, hoping to force it to turn. The rider sawed on the reins to keep the animal running in the direction he wanted it to go. The horse slowed for a moment before stretching out and racing toward the fast approaching Germans.

A shell landed in front of the jeep and Hitch swerved as bits of rock pelted the front of the vehicle. He had to swerve around a rock in his path before he could continue the chase. The gunner in the first halftrack took aim at the jeep and tried to hit the engine. Hitch swerved again and began to zigzag to make a more difficult target. While swerving back and forth the jeep lost its speed advantage. The closer they got to the German column the more drastic the evasive action had to be.

Meanwhile Tully and Moffitt had tried to outflank the Germans. Hoping to drive them off before they could make contact, Moffitt opened fire on one of the halftracks and a patrol car. The patrol car immediately turned to meet the approaching jeep. A German soldier leaned out of the window and tried to be a hero. He fired repeatedly, ignoring the longer range of the American guns.

Moffitt's accuracy was proven once again as the soldier screamed in pain and collapsed, hanging half in the window and half out. The driver swerved and abandoned the fight as the halftrack joined the battle. Moffitt took out the enemy gunner with a single burst of hot lead before the jeep rushed past the heavier vehicle.

A second halftrack turned their way and Tully and Moffitt immediately dodged to the side. As they tried to slide between the two halftracks a line of bullet holes appeared in the side of the jeep. The engine sputtered and jerked before it picked up power again.

"Doc, we gotta go!"

"All right Tully, get us out of here."

Tully wheeled the jeep and broke off the engagement. He looked around for the other jeep and spotted it leaving the battle too. "Hitch and Sarge are pulling out too!"

"Set a course to intercept them; I don't think the Germans will follow, they got what they wanted."

Tully nodded and drove off in pursuit of the other jeep. It took nearly a mile to catch them as his jeep engine sputtered and threatened to quit. Finally Hitch slowed his jeep and allowed Tully to pull alongside.

"Is everyone all right?" Moffitt called across the space between the vehicles.

"Sarge is hit!" Hitch called back, looking over at the sergeant.

"There is a place ahead where we can stop. Follow us." Moffitt leaned over to talk to Tully and their jeep jumped into the lead.

Hitch nodded and allowed Tully to get ahead of him. A few minutes later Tully pulled into a sheltered wadi. Moffitt grabbed a first aid kit while Tully pulled a machine gun and went to stand watch.

Hitch helped Troy from the rear of the jeep to the passenger seat. "Just take it easy Sarge, Doc will patch you up."

"I'm not hurt that bad." Troy growled.

"You're bleeding."

"They got a piece of my hide, nothing serious."

"Let me be the judge of that old man." Moffitt interrupted. "Sit back and let me see it." Pushing Troy gently into the seat he tried to examine the wound. "Hitch, could you get me a flashlight?"

"Right Sarge." Hitch started to turn away until he caught the look that Moffitt gave him. "Sorry Doc, I'll get the flashlight."

Troy watched as Moffitt carefully pulled his shirt away from the wound. "Why do you do that?"

"I have to see the wound."

"You know what I mean." Troy growled.

Moffitt paused and met the other sergeant's curious look. "I dislike nicknames. I really don't see what you Americans see in them."

"Sarge is a rank, not a nickname."

Moffitt glanced up from the wound again and smiled. "But you are Sarge. It's confusing enough having two sergeants without calling us by the same name."

The conversation ended as Hitch returned with the flashlight.

"It's not bad." Moffitt assured both of them. He smiled as he wrapped the injury. "A little gauze and some tape and you'll keep until some pretty nurse can clean it and bandage it properly."

"How do you know she'll be pretty?"

Moffitt shrugged and smiled mysteriously. "They're all pretty. Only the ones who are beautiful on the inside would take this job, and the inside reflects on the outside."

"I never thought about it like that Doc." Hitch breathed in awe. "I mean you're right, they are all special."

Moffitt smiled at the look of wonder on the young private's face at the revelation.

"Now I suppose you'll want to use that line on the nurses to get a date?" Troy chuckled at his driver's reaction to Moffitt's comment.

"I don't know Sarge, I think it would be better to save that line for after I get the date." Hitch answered seriously.

"Fair enough."

"Keep the light on the wound Hitch, I only need another minute." Moffitt drew everyone's attention back to the injury.

"We lost it."

"What?" Moffitt looked up at Troy's sudden outburst. "Lost what?"

"The information." Troy sighed. "That Arab managed to pass it off to the Germans."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Troy growled as he watched Moffitt put the last piece of tape in place. "I saw him hand a large packet off to a German in the second patrol car just before his horse stumbled and fell. We stopped and checked him in case we could get him to talk. It was too late, he broke his neck when the horse threw him. The horse ran off but I doubt that it carried anything we could have used to clear the Captain."

"I'm afraid that we weren't much help either." Moffitt admitted. "I thought that we could distract the rest of the column while you went after the courier."

"Nothing was going to distract them." Troy declared. "They really wanted that packet."

"I guess there is nothing to do but go back and report to the Captain." Moffitt sighed. "Perhaps we can still get something on Sergeant Ingersoll that will help the Captain."

"The krauts will let him know that we're on to him. He'll be even more cautious from now on. They'll close down this operation and it wouldn't surprise me at all if Sergeant Ingersoll suddenly decides he wants a transfer."

"So where does that leave us?" Tully wondered aloud.

"We'll take what we have to Captain Boggs and tell him we know about the report. Maybe he can use what we found to clear his name." Troy shifted in his seat. "Are we ready?"

"I need to work on my jeep." Tully called. "I think a bullet hit the fuel line."

"Hitch, stand guard. Tully, fix it fast, we need to get back to the base and talk to Captain Boggs before Sergeant Ingersoll disappears."


	6. Chapter 6

**Operation Shovel**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 6

"We tried to stop the Arab from passing the information on but the Germans were determined Sir." Troy explained how they had followed the Arab but lost the packet.

"So the packet was delivered?" Captain Boggs asked anxiously. He had listened to Troy's tale with growing alarm.

"I'm afraid so Sir." Troy nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me about your suspicions before this Sergeant?" The captain demanded.

"We couldn't be sure who we could trust Sir. We thought it would be best to keep it between ourselves."

"Did you take your suspicions to Command? If you suspected me you would have been obligated to report it to a higher authority."

"We didn't suspect you Captain." Troy clarified. "We know you're not a traitor. The report made it sound like you but it never mentioned any name."

"So you didn't tell Command?"

Troy dropped his head. "We had to inform them about what we knew. Like you said, we had an obligation."

"And how did they react?"

"We told them what we found but we also told them that there was no way that you would be involved in anything like this. I don't know if they believed us or not."

"What did they tell you?" The Captain demanded again.

"They said that they would check into it." Troy admitted. "You've always stood by us Captain; we felt we owed you the same support. They told us to forget everything we knew but we weren't going to let them railroad you into a court martial."

"Even after they told you not to get involved?"

"Yes sir," Troy confirmed, "we felt we owed you that much."

"I see. Do you all feel that way?" The captain waited for each of the four men to nod. "Alright Sergeant, don't mention this to anyone and don't try to leave the base without my permission. Dismissed."

"Yes sir."

The four men of the Rat Patrol left the Captain's office thoroughly confused.

"He didn't sound too worried about losing that information." Hitch observed.

"That's not what he was unhappy about." Troy agreed. He looked over at Moffitt. "Didn't he seem more upset because we tried to intercept the packet?"

"Yes, I'm afraid he did." Moffitt agreed reluctantly.

"You don't think…" Hitch began.

"He's no traitor." Tully interrupted.

"I agree Tully, but something is going on here and I have a feeling we stepped into something that's way out of our league. I don't think we've even scratched the surface of this thing."

"Just like the Army, send you out without all of the facts. Heck we're lucky they tell us anything at all." Hitch complained.

"There may be a reason for that." Tully smiled at his friend and fellow private.

"Like what?"

"Like some of us can't keep our voices down."

Hitch blushed and looked around guiltily. "I can't tell anyone anything." He protested. "Cause no one tells me anything."

"Maybe we should continue this conversation somewhere else." Moffitt suggested.

"Did you notice anyone missing from the captain's office?" Hitch asked once they were clear of the possibility of being overheard.

"Sergeant Ingersoll's desk was occupied by a new clerk." Moffitt replied. None of the others seemed surprised.

"He didn't waste any time getting out." Troy was still thinking about the meeting in Captain Boggs' office. It hadn't gone as expected. At first the captain had tried to downplay the report. Then he had admitted that he had read it but claimed that he had not seen any connection to himself. He had grown quiet as he listened to how they had followed Sergeant Ingersoll and then the Arab. His face had actually gone white when they had told him about their failed attempt to intercept the information packet.

"Troy, are you all right? Is it your wound? Maybe we should get you back to a doctor."

It had taken a while to fix the jeep. There turned out to be more damage than Tully had expected. Their first stop had been to get Troy's wound treated. A pretty nurse had cleaned the wound and put a clean bandage on it. Troy had protested but the doctor had insisted that he get an antibiotic before he leave the hospital. It was nearly morning before they had finished. They had all agreed that they would wait for the captain to go to his office before giving him their report. It was agreed that he would be in a better mood if they didn't wake him early.

"Troy, are you all right?"

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you need to see a doctor?"

"No, I was just thinking."

"That always makes me feel sick too." Hitch teased in an effort to lighten the mood.

Troy grabbed for the kepi on his driver's head to hit him with it but Hitch dodged away with a laugh.

"Really Sarge." The blond continued more seriously. "If the Captain doesn't want our help what else can we do?"

"I don't know." The sergeant answered. "It seems that there is just too much about this that we don't know."

"If we are going to sit around and try to figure this out then I suggest we go get something to eat. I always think better on a full stomach." Tully suggested.

"Tully's right." Moffitt agreed. "Let's eat, go back to our room, and get some sleep. We'll all think more clearly after some food and rest."

A knock on the door woke Troy. He groaned as he rolled out of the bed. It felt as though he had just gone to sleep. A glance at his watch confirmed the feeling.

"Coming, coming, what do you want anyway?" He yanked the door open as a young private prepared to rap his knuckles on the wood again. The private quickly dropped his arm at the sight of the irate sergeant. "What do you want?" Troy demanded.

"You and your unit are to report to Captain Boggs right away." The young private responded nervously.

"Oh alright." Troy sighed. "Tell the Captain we will be right there." Without waiting for confirmation the sergeant slammed the door. Running his hand across his face he decided that a shave was going to have to wait. "Rise and shine." He called as he pulled the blankets off of the others.

"What's the rush Troy?" Moffitt rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I thought that we were going to get some sleep first."

"Captain Boggs wants to see us."

That was enough to wake the others. There was very little conversation as they dressed and walked across the base.

"Come in Sergeant." The captain called when they knocked on his door only minutes after being summoned.

Troy paused as he noticed the other men in the captain's office.

"Come in and close the door Sergeant." The captain growled as the four men hesitated. Once inside the Captain indicated his guests. "I assume you remember Major Tolmar and Captain Garringer from Command?"

"Yes sir." Troy replied as they saluted the officers. They looked past the officers to see Sergeant Ingersoll standing by the window.

"Sergeant, Captain Boggs has been telling us about your little independent investigation." Major Tolmar began.

Troy glanced over at Captain Boggs before he answered. "Yes sir."

"I do believe that I told you to forget about that report and let us handle it."

"Yes sir, but you seemed to be leaning toward believing it Major." Troy explained.

"Why would I believe it Sergeant, I helped write it?"

"You sir?"

"Yes me Sergeant. It was part of an elaborate plot to feed the Germans some misinformation. We've been working on it for months. We had certain information we wanted them to have. Now, thanks to your interference, it may all have been for nothing."

Troy didn't try to justify their reasoning, he didn't think the Major was in the mood for excuses.

"Lieutenant Alder was in charge of passing on the information we wanted to share. He found the courier willing to act as a go-between between us and the Germans." The Major explained.

"Lieutenant Alder sir?"

"Yes Sergeant, you know him as Sergeant Ingersoll. As I said, it was his responsibility to make sure that the messages got to the Germans."

Lieutenant Alders aka Sergeant Ingersoll spoke for the first time. "I understand that you followed me for two days."

"Yes sir." Troy confirmed.

"You must be pretty good Sergeant. I'm trained to do this job and I never spotted you following me."

"You shook us at the mess hall." Troy reminded him.

"Not because I saw you." Alder, Ingersoll admitted. "I went out the back door simply as a precaution. I had no idea that anyone was following me. And you did still witness my meeting with my contact."

"Pure chance sir." Troy admitted.

"Still pretty impressive." The lieutenant praised.

"Be that as it may." The Major interrupted. "Their interference coud have cost us the entire operation. The Germans were suspicious before they got involved; that's why we stepped up the timetable. Do you really think they'll trust the information after seeing these men at the drop site?"

"Actually sir, I think they may be more likely to believe it." Captain Boggs suggested. "These men tried to stop the delivery. That makes it look like we found out about it and tried to keep the Arab from passing it on. I believe that the Germans will act on it rather quickly now that they know we know they have it."

"Captain Boggs may be right." Captain Garringer added. "It wasn't part of the plan but it may have inadvertently convinced the Germans that the information was real and valuable."

"My contact was killed so there is no one who can identify me as the source of the packet." Lieutenant Adler explained. "The Germans still think that an officer on this base sold them the information. These men haven't said or done anything to make them think otherwise."

"I hope you're right." Major Tolmar replied. "A lot of time and effort went this plan."

"The Germans fought hard to get their hands on that packet." Captain Boggs reminded him. "Normally they wouldn't have stayed and faced my men, they know from experience that that is a costly risk. Normally they cut and run before my men can destroy their entire column."

"Halftracks against jeeps? Really Captain."

"Major, I could tell you how it works but you really have to see it for yourself to truly appreciate it. We're not talking about just any jeeps, or any soldiers, we're talking about the Rat Patrol."

"I'll take your word for it Captain." The Major conceded with reluctance. "I have to be getting back to headquarters. If the Germans did buy our deception I need to be there to spring our little surprise."

"Do you need an escort sir?"

"No," the Major responded, "We'll be traveling with a rather large armed escort of our own."

"Good luck then sir."

"If we pull this off luck will have very little to do with it Captain." The Major huffed. "It took a lot of time and hard work." The major paused to face the four men still standing before him. "I don't like that you ignored my warning to let the matter drop." He eyed Troy and Moffitt in particular. "But I can appreciate your loyalty to your commanding officer." He sighed and paused again. "What I am going to do is leave any punishment in the hands of Captain Boggs. I don't believe it has to go any further than the men in this office. I see no reason to ruin your records for something that may not have done any harm. I suspect that the Captain has already considered the matter of punishment as far as this operation goes. I trust him to come up with something appropriate." The Major saluted and excused himself from the room. Captain Garringer and Lieutenant Alder saluted and smiled before following the major from the office.

"Well Sergeant, you stepped in it and managed to come out smelling like a rose once again." Captain Boggs faced the four men after the officers left the building.

"Yes sir."

"I'm not mad Sergeant." The Captain smiled tiredly. "Actually, I'm flattered. You risked your careers to prove my innocence. I'm not sure how many of the men I have served with over the years would have done that."

You deserved it Sir."

"Maybe Sergeant, but you took one heck of a chance. I have to admit though, I'm glad that you told Major Tolmar about the report though. Failing to report it would not have gone well for you. That may be the only reason he's letting you off so easy."

"Like I said Sir, we were obligated to report it. We didn't have any obligation to believe it though."

Captain Boggs laughed. "Get out of here Troy. Take a few days off. I'll send for you when I need you."

Troy saluted and turned to leave.

"Sergeant, what was it you called this operation again?"

"Operation Shovel Sir."

"Why Operation Shovel?"

"Cause we were going to dig until we got to the bottom of it Sir."

"Operation Shovel, I like that. It fits. I guess I'm going to have to be careful that Intelligence doesn't try to steal you away from me."

"Not a chance Captain." Troy grinned. "We like it right where we are."


End file.
